Daily Driving Midwest

[Sprint410]

Anyone using the GT350 as a daily driver in upper Midwest (or anywhere else cold with bad roads)? I'm trying to get a sense for 1) how stiff the car is (how does the suspension handle the rough roads)? And 2) how does it handle in moderate snowfall?

Sponsored

 

[Spa2k]

Hack will find you soon - or PM HIM.

 

[Cj4428]

Hack will find you soon - or PM HIM.

Yes he will,He drives his GT350 at time's of the year I would never consider driving my lowly GT Mustang on!!

 

[GT_Dave]

I've been driving mine since early January, What do you need to know?
In the cold, you are OK.
In the wet, you are OK.
The car rides pretty much like any other on rough roads, as long as your not in sport or track mode.
Weather mode can save your life, but NEVER try to drive in ANY type of snow with the MPSS tires. I pulled mine out of the garage about 50' with 1/2" of snow on the ground. It took 20 minutes to get it back in the garage, that is with my wife pushing.

 

[WHealy]

I've been driving mine since early January, What do you need to know?
In the cold, you are OK.
In the wet, you are OK.
The car rides pretty much like any other on rough roads, as long as your not in sport or track mode.
Weather mode can save your life, but NEVER try to drive in ANY type of snow with the MPSS tires. I pulled mine out of the garage about 50' with 1/2" of snow on the ground. It took 20 minutes to get it back in the garage, that is with my wife pushing.

LOL .. Perfect ... all you need to know!

 

[Shift]

LOL .. Perfect ... all you need to know!

She was already dirty from shoveling the driveway, so it made sense she push

 

[Rogue]

Don't do it, just get a beater. If you can afford a 60,000 dollar car you can afford a cheap civic or a 190 dollar a month car payment.

 

[Hack]

Anyone using the GT350 as a daily driver in upper Midwest (or anywhere else cold with bad roads)? I'm trying to get a sense for 1) how stiff the car is (how does the suspension handle the rough roads)? And 2) how does it handle in moderate snowfall?

You can get by in a pinch with the stock tires, but I would highly recommend getting a good set of snow tires and buying some aftermarket 8.5 or 9 inch wide rims. If you have snow tires on it you will be fine. I still wouldn't drive it on the really bad days, because some uninsured idiot with bald tires could run into you.

Weather mode is incredibly good! A few weeks ago we had a somewhat icy morning when I didn't expect it. During the winter I was normally driving a winter beater 2003 Explorer on salty wet, icy, snowy, sloppy or excessively cold days. Anyway, I noticed the car slid just a little coming off my gravel driveway onto the pavement. I put it in weather mode and drove in to work with no problems. Two different people remarked on how slippery it was that morning, but AFAI could tell the roads were perfect. Now of course I'm running Blizzaks and they probably had normal all seasons on their cars, so I had a bit of an advantage there. I don't put any weight in the trunk. With good tires, you won't need it. I would recommend some care of course, because if you get the revs up over 3,500 and nail it the tires will spin. It doesn't matter if you are going 50 or 60 mph. The car is really well behaved in a straight line when the back tires are spinning, but around a corner - obviously - the back end will come around fast.

The ride in the GT350 is very good on rough roads. Firm but in a sporty, in-control way, not overly stiff like my 2011 Brembo GT was. That thing was wicked on cold weather expansion joints. I remember a couple times in the 2011 feeling like I almost lost control at 60 or 70 mph on a straight section of highway just because the bump was so hard and the suspension so rigid. The GT350 works great in every rough road situation I've had it in.

Don't do it, just get a beater. If you can afford a 60,000 dollar car you can afford a cheap civic or a 190 dollar a month car payment.

Probably great advice, but I just can't make myself spend 3 or 4 months per year with a $60,000 vehicle parked in my garage and not driving it at all. Life is too short. It's just a car. Eventually it will start to corrode, and that will bother me a lot, but I will have had a lot of fun with it by then.

 

[rancherogt]

Weather mode is incredibly good! A few weeks ago we had a somewhat icy morning when I didn't expect it. During the winter I was normally driving a winter beater 2003 Explorer on salty wet, icy, snowy, sloppy or excessively cold days. Anyway, I noticed the car slid just a little coming off my gravel driveway onto the pavement. I put it in weather mode and drove in to work with no problems. Two different people remarked on how slippery it was that morning, but AFAI could tell the roads were perfect.

The ride in the GT350 is very good on rough roads. Firm but in a sporty, in-control way, not overly stiff like my 2011 Brembo GT was. That thing was wicked on cold weather expansion joints. I remember a couple times in the 2011 feeling like I almost lost control at 60 or 70 mph on a straight section of highway just because the bump was so hard and the suspension so rigid. The GT350 works great in every rough road situation I've had it in.



Probably great advice, but I just can't make myself spend 3 or 4 months per year with a $60,000 vehicle parked in my garage and not driving it at all. Life is too short. It's just a car. Eventually it will start to corrode, and that will bother me a lot, but I will have had a lot of fun with it by then.

Hack did you find winter tires for your 350?

 

[Hack]

Hack did you find winter tires for your 350?

Last winter I used the same Blizzaks that I originally had on my 2011 GT, then I swapped them onto my 2015 GT in November 2014 when I bought that car. I needed a different set of rims and TPMS sensors to get them onto the GT350, but they are still working well. The rims were the challenging part, but it really didn't take too long to find some. We had an early spring, so last weekend I put the factory tires back on it. Now we are supposed to get snow this week, but I'll probably just drive the Explorer that day.

 

[SchultzLT1]

I live in Chicago and have a GT350. I keep it in the garage, but have no problem taking it out on any nice day in December, January, February, whenever. I wouldn't want to have it on any chance of ice or snow, because the tires aren't suited for that. Even when it is below 35 you can feel a significant difference in grip, but as long as you're aware and careful and keep the nannies on, you'll be fine. I love my GT350, but I love it on nice days.

That being said, swap the tires for a winter set up from Nov-March, and it would work great if you wanted to use it that way.

 

[CNFLCTD]

Daily driver here (Chicagoland). I have a set of blizzaks on winter wheels and have had zero issues this winter (except they're ugly). Can't wait to get the stock wheels and tires back on!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TDC]

Don't do it, just get a beater. If you can afford a 60,000 dollar car you can afford a cheap civic or a 190 dollar a month car payment.

What Rogue. GT350 tires and brakes wear quickly. For the replacement costs of these items it just may help offset the cost of a beater car and the additional insurance/registration costs.

 

[earlSpilner]

Drove my base through a blizzard in Northern Alberta (weather report said it would be clear) with the stock tires. Had to be careful but the weather mode did work good.

Sponsored